After 40 years and 21 mainline games (counting the multiplayer ones, discounting remakes and remasters), we like to think that we’ve got a pretty good grasp on the Zelda formula by now. Sure, there’s every chance that the series will have a ‘Breath of the Wild moment’ again somewhere down the line, but for the most part, we know what we’re looking for in our Zelda games.
If we had to make a list of the important elements, dungeons, bosses, puzzles, and an expansive overworld would all make an appearance would all go on there, but would ‘Story’ make the cut? All Zelda games have had a story, of course, varying from ‘Hero is found’ and ‘Hero defeats evil’ to more intricate narratives, but are they integral to your enjoyment? They’re nice to have around, for sure, but do any of us play these games for the plot?
It’s a topic that we were discussing at Nintendo Life Towers this week, and, naturally, it brought up the question of how much we care about Zelda stories in the first place. We’ve each shared our thoughts below, but we’ve also added a poll so you can have your say, too. Are you a story stalwart or a narrative nay-sayer? Let’s find out!
Jim Norman, Features Editor
I love a bit of Zelda lore, and while I can’t say that I have given it too much thought before, I think I do play the games for the story at this point. To be clear, I’m not expecting some grand narrative that’s going to blow my socks off, but anything (and I mean anything) that links back to the wider series or expands a character in some meaningful way is enough to get a big old grin from me.
Of course, very few Zelda games have historically given all that much time to the story, and that’s okay — a lack of direct sequels will do that — but gosh, do you remember the run-up to Tears of the Kingdom and all of that discussion about timeline theories, the Zonai, and mysterious characters? Man, I was in my element back then!
Even putting the timeline aside for a moment and thinking about individual stories, yep, I’m still on board. I was genuinely interested in what was happening to Hyrule in Echoes of Wisdom, what Lorule was and how it came to be kept me hooked throughout A Link Between Worlds, and, casting the net a little further, I’m not afraid to admit that I shed a tear at the end of Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment.
So yes, keep up with the Zelda stories, please, Nintendo. In fact, give me more!
Ollie Reynolds, Reviews Editor
I do enjoy a good Zelda story, but one that merely gets me from beginning to end, you know? I genuinely couldn’t care less about how each title fits into the wider timeline. Take Wind Waker, for example. When Aryll was abducted from Outset Island and you set off to rescue her with a bunch of low-life pirates, you better believe I was hella invested.
If you ask me what I think about how the events from Ocarina of Time directly affect Wind Waker, however, I’d just look at you like you’ve barged into my home and raided my fridge. It’s all meaningless to me. And you know what? I think it’s pretty meaningless to Nintendo, too.
I much prefer the smaller narrative beats in a Zelda game: the people you meet, the environmental storytelling, the side-quests. Just tell a good, engaging story that’ll see me to the end credits, and I’m happy.
Alana Hagues, Deputy Editor
I’m going to preface this and say that I appreciate that later Zelda games have a ‘story’, even as basic as ‘save the princess’. I like Tears of the Kingdom’s story! It’s not revolutionary at all, nor does it need to be, but it actually has something going for it, which is more than Breath of the Wild does.
But, ultimately, I don’t really care. I’m not playing a Zelda game for the story at all. I think a hook is necessary, so don’t just drop me in a world and do nothing with it. But like with basically every single Nintendo franchise — Mario, Metroid, Donkey Kong, Kirby (anything but Xenoblade or an RPG) — I don’t care about the story.
Of course, I love a good story in a video game. But it just isn’t crucial in many of these games. I live for the emotional moments, sure, and Majora’s Mask is a shining example of this. But when people start trying to join the dots in the overall narrative for every single game, I zone out. I would rather enjoy the game for what it is — good writing is more important than a good story, even in a Zelda game.
Gavin Lane, Editor
I recall TOTK’s launch and Alana setting off on her guide campaign the day it came out. A brand-new Zelda is a rare occurrence and some NL staff were avoiding any information whatsoever. As editor, I was giving guides the once-over before them going live, so I knew all the Tears memory details and boss battles well before I saw them for myself. And I remember thinking how little I cared about spoilers for it.
Three years on, I still haven’t finished TOTK because, to me, that’s really not the point. I couldn’t give less of a monkeys about the Imprisoning War or if Ganon’s the baddie (shocker) or if Zelda does this or that. That’s not to say I don’t enjoy character moments or specific scenarios. The little interludes with Saria and Epona at Lon Lon and Princess Ruto and the Deku Tree and so many more are treasured Ocarina memories. I care about the characters, just not the lore.
Another example: I adore Majora’s Mask and its many slice-of-life vignettes. I love the tone of Skull Kid’s loneliness, the individual characters’ tales, and the impact of that lone tree in the glade as I approached the endgame. But the hows and whys of Termina’s plummeting moon and the slumbering giants’ backstory? *shrugs* I suppose I don’t much care for the legend of Zelda; that’s all just a framework to hang the adventure, the canvas to paint.
The closest I’ve come to genuinely caring about a Zelda story is Wind Waker, and that’s down to the pathos of Ganondorf’s ending, plus the intrigue of another Hyrule beneath the waves. Each to their own, timelines and historias aren’t my bag. Give me a floppy green cap and a sword and just point me in the direction of Hyrule Field. I’ll take a horse with a funny name if you’ve got one, too.
That’s what we think, but what about you? Let us know which side of the debate you fall on in the following polls, then take to the comments to dive even deeper.
